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The number of Chromecast-compatible mobile apps continues to grow, making it easier for Android and iOS users to fling content across to their TVs. Google highlighted a few new additions today, including the video game streaming platform Twitch.
At one point it was Google, not Amazon, that was rumored to be acquiring Twitch. Even though the deal never went through, it’s notable to see the service supporting Google’s tiny streaming dongle. From both the Android and iOS apps, you can now cast livestreams and archived videos at any time.
Alongside Twitch, Google also announced Chromecast support for the WATCH Disney, WATCH Disney Junior and WATCH Disney XD apps. Many parents will be familiar with these apps and the content they offer to keep younger viewers occupied – now you can display them on the big screen in your living room.
Read Next: 32 of the best apps for Google’s Chromecast
Featured image credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images


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Crayola is about to do something it has never done in its 100-year history: retire a crayon color from its ubiquitous 24-pack of crayons that were a staple of nearly every American’s childhood.
The company announced on Twitter that the color Dandelion will no longer appear in Crayola’s 24-count box. The color will never again be produced by the Crayola factory. Only boxes that already contain that specific color will remain.
The decision of which color will replace Dandelion will be announced in Times Square today, Friday, which is also National Crayon Day.
The remaining colors in the box are red, yellow, blue, brown, orange, green, violet, black, carnation pink, yellow orange, blue green, red violet, red orange, yellow green, blue violet, white, violet red, cerulean, apricot, scarlet, green yellow, indigo and gray.

domain: news


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Google+ user Дима Прокопенко has just given us a tantalizing, more complete look at the Moto X, posting a Rogers "Tech Experts" demo video that shows off some of the hotly-anticipated device's unique features.
Before we get to features, it's worth noting that the video indicates a Rogers launch "in August," as an exclusive for the Canadian carrier.
The video also shows off the Moto X's always-on voice commands, allowing users to query Google Search with their voice regardless of whether they're in the search app. Read More
In January, we saw Motorola's Droid Razr HD drop to just a penny on Amazon for customers looking to upgrade their old devices. Sadly, the deal didn't extend to new customers (though at $19.99, not much complaining could be done).
If you were hoping to hop onto the big red network with the Razr HD for a more enticing price, Amazon's got your deal – the phone is now just a penny for new customers (and additional lines). Read More
Motorola, through its Feedback Network, has indicated that it is readying a "new Jelly Bean software release" for the Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX on Verizon, asking participants – as usual – to test the waters before the release is made final. We know that the RAZR/MAXX duo are set to get a 4.1 update in "Q1 2013" from Motorola's own update schedule, so the following email (sent to members of Moto's feedback network) is a good sign that things are on track. Read More
Last month, we saw Motorola's Droid Razr Maxx HD offered up for $99.99 on Amazon for new accounts only. If you're already a Verizon subscriber who's looking to instead upgrade to the Maxx HD, you're in luck – it looks like Amazon has extended the offer to upgrade customers as well. For reference, Amazon's price puts the phone a full $200 below Verizon's own price.
Just in case you've forgotten, the Droid Razr Maxx HD packs a 4.7" 720x1280 display (that's 312ppi), 8MP camera, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, and 1GB RAM. Read More
Winning a $450 bounty and the hearts of Droid RAZR/MAXX users, Dan Rosenberg has found a successful root method for the phone's 4.1 JellyBean OTA, which began rolling out last Christmas Eve.
Some readers are likely familiar with Mr. Rosenberg's work, as he's rooted everything in sight from the Droid RAZR/MAXX HD to the RAZR M, all the way back to the LG Spectrum. As a security researcher, he's even given (and published) a helpful presentation on rooting and modding for the security conscious. Read More
Google announced in a statement today that Wisconsin Judge Barbara Crabb has dismissed Apple's lawsuit against Motorola Mobility claiming the Google-owned Moto's practices related to standards-essential patent licensing were unfair.
The lawsuit was set to go to trial in US District Court in Madison, Wisconsin this afternoon but was, according to Google, dismissed with prejudice by Judge Crabb this morning. Readers may remember that a similar Apple vs Motorola trial was canceled in Illinois by Judge Richard Posner earlier this year. Read More
Reuters, showing its apparent inability to view anything involving spending money in a positive light, is reporting this morning that Google has revised its reorg (read: firing) costs for Motorola to $340 million this quarter, up from an initial estimate of $275 million. The article goes on to describe this "restructuring headache" - you know, the one Google bought knowing 100% full well it is was getting and had time to prepare for literally a year in advance? Read More
It looks like Chinese manufacturer ZTE may have beaten Motorola to the Intel-powered phone announcement punch, today unveiling the ZTE Grand X IN. You may remember that Motorola is planning an announcement involving Intel for September 18th.
The Grand X IN looks to be a mid-range device, carrying a 4.3" qHD TFT display (that's 540x960 resolution), an 8MP rear camera with a VGA shooter around front, 1GB RAM, 16GB onboard storage (expandable via microSD), NFC, and of course an Intel Atom Z2460 processor with just one core clocked at 1.6GHz. Read More
In a post to Google's Android Building group today, Jean-Baptiste Queru once again acted as the bearer of good tidings for developers and tweakers everywhere, announcing that "a new set of proprietary binaries for Jelly Bean are available."
The new batch of binaries includes those of the Nexus S and Nexus S 4G (Crespo and Crespo4G respectively), the latter of which we just recently saw added into the AOSP fold. Read More
Those wondering whether Motorola's recently-announced Atrix HD will carry a locked bootloader can exhale – in a string of tweets earlier this evening, Moto confirmed that, yes, the Atrix HD's bootloader will be locked and signed.
That being said, Moto indicated that their "goal" is to provide a way to "unlock the bootloaders on our devices to those who wish to do so," adding that more details are "to come."
What this means for the end user is that (for now) customization of the Atrix HD will be severely limited. Read More


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With an active tomato market during the last few months, NatureFresh Farms created a breathe of fresh air in late February with the harvest of its first crop of OhioRed tomatoes.
“It’s a great day for NatureFresh to pick the first crop from a new greenhouse, especially in the middle of winter in Ohio,” Peter Quiring, president of NatureFresh Farms, said in a press release.
NatureFresh announced in January 2015 that it would be building a 180-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse project in Delta, OH, that would allow the company to grow year round in the Midwest. Interest in the project picked up considerable steam in the fall when the first tomato crop was planted in November. With an increase in hours of sunlight over the coming weeks, crop projections will rise which will mean more Ohio tomatoes making their way to the market.
“We continue to receive email and social media messages daily from consumers that are all over the Midwest asking about our new OhioRed brand tomatoes and when they will be available,” Chris Veillon, director of marketing for NatureFresh, added in the press release.
Given the location of the facility in Ohio and unique nature of greenhouse vegetable growing, the company has been getting a great deal of interest from local schools wanting tours of the greenhouse. “We look forward to educating students from all over the Midwest about greenhouse growing, just like we do with our mobile Greenhouse Education Center,” Veillon added.
The company’s #GreenInTheCity tour kicks off March 31 with the mobile greenhouse scheduled to attend more than 80 events in 2016.
Construction of NatureFresh’s Phase II of 15.3 acres is under way and will be completed later this summer. Phase III (also 15.3 acres) of the greenhouse facility will begin construction late this spring with completion expected in early fall 2016. This will bring NatureFresh’s total acreage of new construction to 45 acres in Ohio alone in less than 12 months.
The significant increase in acreage will enable NatureFresh Farms to grow tomatoes year-round in Ohio to meet the increasing demand from its customer base in the Midwest and Canada.
Combining the acreage being built in Delta, OH, with the company’s current Canadian production in Leamington, ON, NatureFresh will grow and market 175 acres of its own production. NatureFresh Farms continues to be one of the largest independent, vertically integrated greenhouse growers in North America.
NatureFresh will be displaying the new OhioRed brand tomatoes at the SEPC’s Southern Exposure convention and trade show March 3-5 in Hollywood, FL. The company will be promoting their extensive line of greenhouse grown produce at booth No. 919.
Fresh Solutions Network has won a packaging design award from Graphic Design USA, American Packaging Design Awards. The award celebrates Side Delights Roastables fresh potato package design, with its vibrant color palette and rustic visuals, encouraging a perfect potato choice for dinner tonight.
“We had very clear objectives for the design team to express the potential of potatoes as a canvas for bold flavors, while providing the best packaging design on the market,” Kathleen Triou, president and chief executive officer of Fresh Solutions Network, said in a press release. “We designed the packaging with a very specific audience in mind, stimulating shoppers’ creativity both in-store and at home.”
Side Delights Roastables are the finest quality, triple-washed petite potato varieties. The packaging was designed to appeal to the growing and coveted group of millennial shoppers, who are self-described as adventurous with their food choices, frequently trying new recipes featuring fresh food items, and consider food preparation as an important feature of their lifestyle.
Side Delights Roastables include sachets of delicious, Montana Mex spice blends made with pure, sustainably sourced, gluten-free, 100 percent natural spices. These spice blends have broad appeal and encourage recipe experimentation at home.
The Kroger Co. has announced that Jay Cummins, president of the company's Smith's division, plans to retire on April 29, after 44 years with the company. His replacement will be announced at a later date.
"Jay has always led with enthusiasm and passion for our people and teams. It shows in the great pride he takes in the accomplishments of associates, especially when they go above and beyond for our customers," Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and chief executive officer, said in a press release. "We are thankful for Jay's service to Smith's and Kroger, and to our local communities where he has always demonstrated a personal commitment to making a difference for others. We wish Jay, his wife, Terrie, and their family all the best in retirement."
Cummins began his Kroger career as a clerk in 1972 in Huntington Beach, CA. In the following years, he served in positions of increasing responsibility in store and district management and in grocery merchandising for the company's Food 4 Less division. In 2002, Cummins was named vice president and general manager of the Food 4 Less Midwest division, where he led the expansion of the Food 4 Less price impact warehouse store format in the Chicago area. In 2004, he was named president of the Food 4 Less division, which operates stores in California, Illinois and Indiana. Cummins was named president of the Mid-Atlantic division in 2007 before assuming his current role in 2014.
Cummins serves on the Board of Western Association of Food Chains. Under his leadership, Smith's has received several awards recognizing the company's philanthropic efforts, including Outstanding Corporation/Foundation by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Las Vegas Chapter in 2015.
From its division office in Salt Lake City, Smith's 17,000 associates serve customers in 139 stores throughout seven western states.
The Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Connections: Retail will return to Philadelphia April 5-6 and will connect retailers and suppliers through retail-based education sessions, networking opportunities and an optional tour of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market.
Industry experts will deliver tips on key elements that affect retail including current trends, shopper experience and consumer collaboration.
“This will be a terrific shared learning experience for me,” Alan Alexander, founder and chief executive officer of Recoleta Digital Media, said in a press release. “I can learn more about all of the aspects of the produce industry and provide valuable information regarding the power of personalization to individuals attending the event.”
Alexander will be among the experts speaking during the education session Create Sales Opportunity: Personalize the Shopper Experience. This session will explore consumers’ needs and how they shop. Attendees will learn how to embrace the minds of tech-savvy consumers to meet consumer demands and develop personalized strategies to grow sales. A consumer panel will be present to answer questions provided by the audience.
“I’m very excited to meet and interact with all of the attendees this year at Fresh Connections: Retail, and I’m hoping to provide a few intriguing surprises along the way in terms of the information I will be presenting,” Alexander added.
The education session Restaurant Table to Home Kitchen: Dining Trends Inspiring Retail will tackle how to transform the most popular restaurant menu items into fresh product offerings to increase retail sales.
Attendees will also hear from a global food and drink analyst on trends -- such as global flavors and dynamic ingredients -- that affect both retail and the supply chain. In addition, a consumer panel will discuss how these foodservice trends influence fresh produce purchases.
Online communication and consumer relations will be discussed during Learning from Each Other: Creating Demand through Collaboration. Attendees will explore the importance of consumer influence and learn how to improve user experience to deliver high valued products and services.
“It’s nice to take advantage of events such as this that dedicate such an extensive focus on a specific component of the produce industry’s supply chain,” Joe Watson, PMA vice president of domestic business development, added in the press release. “It can be a helpful source that provides the necessary tools for creating those key personal relationships with retailers.”
Retailers scheduled to participate at this year’s event include:
On the morning of April 6, an optional tour will be available for individuals to take a look at independent fresh wholesalers that sell to retailers within a 150-mile radius of Philadelphia. Tour participants will witness the world’s largest fully enclosed, fully refrigerated wholesale produce terminal, spanning 700,000 square-feet, and will learn about delivery and distribution setup, food safety inspections, cold chain management and more.
Sunkist Growers announced the cooperative’s sixth consecutive billion-dollar revenue year Feb. 17 at the company’s annual meeting in Valencia, CA. Moreover, for the first time in Sunkist’s history, the organization has issued grower payments of over a billion dollars for the second consecutive year.
“Sunkist has made many advancements to keep the cooperative well-positioned in the current business environment and last year’s results demonstrate the positive impact of those improvements,” Sunkist President and Chief Executive Officer Russell Hanlin said in a statement.
Notable changes in the past few years include the implementation of the cooperative’s grower distribution program.
“We made our third distribution to growers in 2015, and are committed to increasing these distributions annually,” Hanlin added. “This program was accomplished through an effective cost-containment plan and revenues from our for-profit businesses.”
Sunkist’s juice processing joint venture with Ventura Coastal has yielded positive results for the organization. Now in its fourth year, the business partnership continues to generate improved by-product earnings, more timely payments and greatly contributes to grower distributions. Sunkist’s robust licensing program and global sourcing business is also advancing. With 49 licensees in total, the Sunkist brand is used to market approximately 700 products in 77 countries.
“All of these businesses continue to contribute to positive revenue streams and also help strategically position Sunkist for future growth,” said Hanlin.
Another significant event for the cooperative was Sunkist’s headquarters relocation to Valencia, CA, in 2014, which strengthened Sunkist’s financial position and also geographically centralized its business operations to the cooperative’s grower base.
“The positive changes and growth we have achieved in recent years have been accomplished with the leadership and dedication of Sunkist’s board of directors, chaired for the past five years by Mark Gillette,” Hanlin said. “His commitment and leadership has been instrumental to our organization, and we are thankful for his valuable contributions to Sunkist.”
As his term as chairman of Sunkist’s board of directors comes to a close, the contributions of Mark Gillette, president of Sunkist-affiliated Gillette Citrus Inc. of Dinuba, CA, was recognized during the meeting. Gillette served as chairman for five consecutive terms, the maximum time allowed under Sunkist by-laws.
Gerald Denni, general manager of Golden Valley Citrus Inc. in Strathmore, CA, and co-owner of Mittman-Denni Citrus Management, was elected to his first term as chairman following the meeting.
Elected by the board to vice chairmanships for 2016-17 were Mark Gillette of Dinuba, CA (District 1), James Finch of Ojai, CA (District 2) and Nicholas Bozick of Mecca, CA (District 3).
The meeting welcomed this year’s incoming directors, including Norman Evans of Terra Bella, CA, Amy Fukutomi of Oxnard, CA, Jim Layes of Riverside, CA, Tony Lombardi of Terra Bella, CA, Randy Vogt of Visalia, CA, and Scott Wiley of Terra Bella, CA. Also joining the board were Steve Cutting of Manhattan Beach, CA, and Robert Grether of Somis, CA, who have previously served on the board.
Enduring members of the 2016-17 board include Craig Armstrong of Thermal, CA, Ron Arnott of Mentone, CA, Allen Camp of Ventura, CA, Donald Dames of Oxnard, CA, Burt Fugate of Santa Maria, CA, Curt Holmes of Fresno, CA, Gary Laux of Porterville, CA, Brad Leichtfuss of Fillmore, CA, Robert Linderman of Visalia, CA, Warren Lyall of Pauma Valley, CA, Samuel Mayhew of Oxnard, CA, Eric Meling of Ivanhoe, CA, Cecilia Perry of Yuma, AZ, Kevin Riddle of Orosi, CA, and Kevin Severns of Orange Cove, CA.
Sunkist also honored the service of outgoing Directors John Kalender of Woodlake, CA, Russell Katayama of Orosi, CA, John Matthiessen of Visalia, CA, Martin Mittman of Porterville, CA, Thomas Mazzetti of Riverside, CA, Richard Pidduck of Santa Paula, CA, and Randy Veeh of Visalia, CA.


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The 'Escape to Corona Island' campaign, designed and implemented by BD Network, will run across the on and off trade. It gives consumers the opportunity to win one of 25 sets of tickets to Ibiza in August.
Each winner will be able to take themselves and a group of friends to the Balearic island for three nights.
In addition to the 25 main prizes, the beer brand will also be giving away an additional 4,250 Corona-branded prizes including hoodies, t-shirts and key ring bottle openers.
Everyone who enters the competition will also be able to access the Corona Island exclusive Hed Kandi playlist on Spotify, consisting of 40 tracks. They will also be entered into a free prize draw for a chance to win a trip for two to Ibiza in September to experience the Ibiza closing parties.
Corona will take over bars and late night venues in nine UK cities – Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Brighton. Each will host an Ibiza-themed party with a top DJ and run Corona Island activity.
The nights will run in tandem with the competition, from May to July 2011, and in the run up to the events, point of sale activity in participating bars will raise awareness and encourage consumers to visit the outlet on event days.
Consumers can enter the competition to win tickets to Ibiza by buying buckets of Corona in over 5,000 bars and clubs across the UK. They will then be given a unique reference number which can then be entered through Corona's Facebook page, through its website or by text.
Kevin Wallace, Molson Coors' UK brand director for Corona, said: "The fully integrated campaign will offer something new and exciting, and contains a strong digital element, which we know engages with our target consumer."


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Yahoo is discussing a possible partnership with News Corp. in its latest effort to repel Microsoft or prod its unsolicited suitor into raising...
SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo is discussing a possible partnership with News Corp. in its latest effort to repel Microsoft or prod its unsolicited suitor into raising its current takeover bid, according to a person familiar with the talks.
The specifics of the joint venture still hadn’t been worked out, said the person who didn’t want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Both The Wall Street Journal and a prominent blog, TechCrunch, reported today that News Corp. is interested in folding its popular online social network, MySpace.com, and other Internet assets into Yahoo — an idea that first came up last year. News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal.
News Corp. and a private-equity firm also would buy significant stakes in Yahoo in a complex deal designed to boost the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company’s market value above Microsoft’s initial bid of $44.6 billion, or $31 a share.
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A Yahoo spokesman said the company continues to “carefully and thoroughly” evaluate alternatives that will enrich its long-term shareholders.
News Corp. spokeswoman Teri Everett declined to comment. Microsoft also had not comment.
Although News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch made it clear in a conference call last week that his New York-based company had no interest in an outright acquisition of Yahoo, he didn’t rule out the possibility of a deal involving MySpace.
Yahoo rejected Microsoft’s offer Monday, insisting that its Internet franchise is worth more money. Microsoft has held firm on its bid so far, dubbing it “full and fair” while threatening to launch a hostile takeover attempt.
Besides talking with News Corp., Yahoo has explored an advertising partnership with its biggest rival, Internet search leader Google.
Although Google probably could help elevate Yahoo’s recently drooping profits, the alliance would likely face antitrust hurdles because the two companies operate the Web’s two biggest ad networks and eliminating one would reduce competition.
If Yahoo is able to work out a deal with News Corp., analysts believe Microsoft will simply raise its offer because it needs the acquisition to counteract Google’s dominance of the online ad market — a battleground that is rapidly reshaping the technology and media industries.
“Buying Yahoo makes tremendous sense for Microsoft, more sense than any other company in the world,” said Ken Marlin, a New York investment banker specializing in media and technology deals.
Associated Press business reporter Seth Sutel in New York contributed to this story.


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Apple is facing two separate lawsuits that claim the company purposefully allowed advertisers access to iPhone and iPad users’ information. One lawsuit is seeking class-action status for anyone who downloaded an application in the past two years and comes after the Wall Street Journal exposed 101 applications sharing user data. Google may face similar lawsuits, as they too require users to give away information access to applications.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.


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THIS year, the Denbigh and Flint Show's Food Hall was bustling again, with a huge assortment of local produce available for the public to sample and buy.
There were over 40 stands showcasing the very best that Denbighshire's has to offer, with something to tempt everyone's taste buds. From fabulous breads and pastries, to olives, sausages, cheese and ice cream - there was glorious food aplenty; not to mention a great variety of drinks, including ales, cider and even vodka.
The food companies exhibiting in the hall were from Denbighshire and further afield, and included Snowdonia Cheese, Orchard Pigs (pies and pastries), Mon ar Lwy (ice cream), Cig Howatson Meats, M.R Olives, Great British Cheese, and Roberts Country Fayre who are suppliers of finest quality pies.
Llangollen Brewery, who produce Welsh crafted traditional ale using local underground water sources, enjoyed a busy day at the Food Hall. Owner Steven Evans, said: "It's our county show so of course we want to come here, we come every year. We see it as a major shop window for our products, and it's always nice to be here."
Award winning traditional family butchers, Jones of Llangollen, won the 'Best Display in the Food Hall' competition this year, despite stiff competition from fellow stall holders. "I'm really pleased," said owner Tommy Jones, who is the third generation butcher in the family run business. "It's nice to win the award. Having a display at the show is great publicity and advertising for us as it's such a busy show. We've had a lot of interest in our products too and we'll definitely be back next year."
Denbigh Brewery (Bragdy Dinbych) is a company that was established in 2012, that makes different ales and stouts. Head Brewer and company owner Alyn Ashworth, said: "We came last year and it was great. I'm making a few sales as well as putting us in the shop window today."
The company, whose motto is 'Quench Your Dragon' sell a selection of different ales including "The Mental" which is spicy, rich, and especially strong, and the most popular "Cwrw Dinbych" which is a rich, dark stout brewed to a traditional Celtic recipe using patent black malt for a very distinctive taste.
Llaeth Y Llan Village Dairy, who are based in Llannefydd, manufacture yoghurts and have exhibited in the Food Hall numerous times before. "It is always really good here, and busy," said Andrew who was working on the stall. "We come every year because it's a big, local show."
Rosie's Triple D are a Llandegla based company who are in their ninth year of cider making. Owner Steve Hughes, who started cider making as a hobby, said: "This is my local county so that's why I do the show every year. I've been in business since 2007, and making cider since 2005, and I've been a full time cider maker since 2011.
"I've been very lucky in that my cider has won significant awards every year since I started - which in turn has provided me with the confidence to develop my cider making hobby." Steve grows over 60 varieties of apple on the premises in Llandegla, and the range of Rosie's Triple D ciders include Perfect Pear, Wicked Wasp and Black Bart varieties.
The Food Hall has grown in size every year in recent years, and after the success of this year, there will be many people looking forward to what on offer next year.
See full story in the Free Press


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Murtaugh was employed by General Motors (GM) for more than 30 years in various management and executive-level positions. From 1996 to 2000, Murtaugh served as Executive Vice President of Shanghai GM, and from 2000 to 2005, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GM China. Over a period of 10 years, Murtaugh grew GM’s presence from 15 employees in its Shanghai operations to 15,000 employees throughout the country while increasing the unit’s revenue from $300 million to more than $7 billion.
Following GM, Murtaugh served as Executive Vice President, International Operations for Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). In his next executive role, Murtaugh was Chief Executive Officer, Asia Operations for Chrysler where he grew sales by 30% during his tenure. Most recently, Murtaugh has been a Director of Lear Corporation, and a consultant and advisor to numerous large sales and manufacturing companies.
"We are thrilled to have Phil guide our team into its next stage of rapid growth in power battery systems and electric vehicles. Phil is an industry veteran with large scale manufacturing, sales and marketing experience who has the precise combination of skills necessary to lead CODA’s mission to transform the auto industry by accelerating the adoption of clean, zero emissions technology," said Mac Heller, Executive Chairman, CODA Holdings. "Phil’s OEM and systems and solutions expertise, and his experience overseeing more than 15 vehicle introductions on three continents are exactly the qualifications the Board of Directors has been seeking."
"I look forward to joining an experienced group of professionals on CODA’s management team and Board in California and abroad. It is impressive to see all that they have accomplished in such a short period of time, from the formation of international partnerships to green technology breakthroughs that are truly world class," said Philip Murtaugh, Chief Executive Officer, CODA Holdings. "Together, I am confident that we will accelerate the adoption of clean technology that will better the environment, create new jobs and move the automotive industry in a positive direction."
Miles L. Rubin, CODA’s founder and Co-Chairman, will retire as Co-Chairman but continue his active involvement as a Director and the company’s largest shareholder. CODA’s Board has designated Rubin Chairman Emeritus, honoring his significant foresight and continuing efforts on behalf of the company and its mission.
"We owe the strength and promise of our company to Miles’s early vision and encouragement of a major new global industry," noted Heller. "His development of our domestic and international relationships, and his decision to meld CODA’s world class technologies with those of leading partners around the globe has moved us to the forefront of an emerging industry and has proven to be a harbinger for other successful international alliances."
"Phil’s appointment has given us great confidence in CODA’s future and I feel this is an ideal time to retire as Co-Chairman," said Miles Rubin, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, CODA Holdings. "I give Phil and Mac my full and enthusiastic support as Director and Chairman Emeritus."
"I am convinced that the commercial and practical widespread adoption of EVs will succeed, and CODA is best positioned to lead this movement," said Murtaugh.
About CODA Holdings: Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., CODA Holdings is working to reduce dependence on oil and are leading the way to a cleaner energy future through multi-use advanced battery systems for electric cars and a range of utility applications. CODA is working in a smart, interdependent way with leading global technology and manufacturing companies to quickly and efficiently bring electric power battery technology to market.
Through its battery system joint venture with Lishen Power Battery of Tianjin, China, whose principal shareholder is CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Company), CODA is a large-scale producer of power battery systems for transportation and utility applications. Upon completion of current build-out of production capacity, it will be producing power battery systems totaling more than 1.4 billion amp hours (Ah) of energy storage (4.4 million kilowatt hours). With the completion of the proposed Ohio ATVM plant, its total JV capacity is slated to reach two billion Ah (6.3 million kWh) of energy storage. The CODA Sedan is a four-door, five-passenger 100% electric vehicle with industry-leading technology that is designed to meet American drivers’ daily transportation needs without using an ounce of gasoline.


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US awards $30 million contract to Orbit Communications; Israel’s OurCrowd helps 160 startups raise $750 million; Israeli innovation hub to create billion-dollar success together with Danish company; and more!
By: Michael Ordman
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
$30 million Pentagon contract for Orbit
The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $30 million contract to Israel-based Orbit Communications. Orbit will provide repairs and upgrades to communication technology aboard the U.S. military’s aging KC-135 refueling jets over a 5-year period.
OurCrowd is five years old
In its first five years, Israel’s leading global investing crowdfunding platform OurCrowd, has helped 160 startups raise $750 million. It supports 25,000 small investors from 120 countries.
Maritime accelerator makes a splash
Of 6,000 active startups and companies in Israel, just 50 are in the maritime category. But now TheDOCK Innovation Hub has begun working with Danish shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk to co-create the next billion-dollar success in next generation logistics, trade and supply chains.
$125 million to improve its image
I reported previously (see here) on Israeli startup Trax with its image recognition and analysis technology. Trax has just received an injection of $125 million to help it continue to enhance its vision technology at its Tel Aviv development center and explore engineering options in China.
Dutch Christians sell Israeli products
John Farenhorst, a member of Netherlands’ Christian Friends of Israel, sells Israeli products at the Israel Product Center in Nijkerk, near Utrecht. IPC’s store has a mail order department with a network of over 200 volunteer salespeople who sell the products from their homes.
2,000 SoftWheel wheelchairs for veterans
I reported previously (Sep 2015) on the plan for US Army veterans to receive revolutionary wheelchairs from Israeli startup SoftWheel. The US Department of Veterans Affairs has since approved 361 of the wheelchairs and a new deal makes that into a total of 2,000.
Riding the high seas
Israeli shipping giant Zim is to jointly operate lines between Asia and the US East Coast with vessel operators Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The accord will run for seven years. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-zim-strikes-alliance-with-global-shipping-giants-to-share-routes/
Skoda invests in Anagog
I’ve reported previously (here) on Israeli sensor company Anagog. Now Skoda, Volkswagen’s Czech subsidiary, is investing $1.5 million in Anagog. Porsche (Skoda’s sister company) and Daimler are already invested in Anagog.
Lufthansa start two routes to Eilat
German airline Lufthansa is starting twice-weekly flights from Munich and Frankfurt, in Germany, to Eilat, Ovda Airport, in Southern Israel, starting from 28 Oct 2018. They will be the first flights to Eilat by Lufthansa.
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Jane Fonda Recommends Using CBD Products and Gives Survival Tips for a Pandemic
Famous Hollywood actress Jane Fonda actively uses her Instagram account to promote CBD products and demonstrate their effectiveness.
Jane Fonda, an 82-year-old actress and public activist, is creating the show «Grace and Frankie». She is also working on the show Fire Drill Fridays from home (a weekly rally she started in DC to draw attention to climate change). Now she is collaborating with a cosmetics company and showing cannabis products.
Fonda demonstrates some products in a new TikTok-style video posted on Instagram. According to Jane, she wears cannabis clothes, and actively uses CBD oil to relieve insomnia. She also says that, she had never used hand cream and body lotion but applies CBD oil following her doctor’s recommendations. Jane noted that hemp is an amazing product, and it should be part of the USA economy, because hemp has so many uses, and it has great value in the manufacture of clothing, food, and even automobiles.
In addition to her treatment regimen, Jane talked about changes in her life during the COVID-19 pandemic. She gave some tips how to maintain good health: get eight or nine hours of sleep a day, use sunscreen and do some exercises every day, whether it’s walking or special training with a personal trainer. All these things helps her focus on the fight against climate change.
«This is the most important moment in human history right now this year», she says.
She also expressed concerns about the upcoming US elections. Fonda is afraid that Trump may adversely affect climate change, and therefore she is going to make every effort to change the world in which we live here and now. Jane also calls for help other people who make our lives possible: deliverymen, farm workers, nurses and health workers.
Recall that among celebrities who uses CBD is Jennifer Aniston. She says she started using CBD after she experienced some discomfort and symptoms of stress from her busy schedule. CBD allowed her to relieve her symptoms without having to turn to pain killers.


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Thanks to the support of our customers and tireless work of our producers, the Food Hub is growing—and growing quickly! Between July and the end of September, Food Connects sold and transported $202,100 of local food. That means FC sales grew 60% over the previous quarter, and 61% over the same period in 2018. Our largest sales week totaled $19,055, which represents a 46% increase over our strongest week in 2018. Since this time last year, we have added 16 new producers to our regular catalog. Items from those new producers accounted for sales of more than $36,000 in Q3 and $60,000 in 2019 to-date.
While our small-but-mighty staff hustles to move more and more weekly orders, we are laying the groundwork for future growth. In Q3, among other projects, we:
bought a second refrigerated van for our delivery fleet;
added an Operations Coordinator position;
saw our cooler/freezer facility construction project nearing completion;
began transitioning online sales to a new platform;
and launched a new delivery route to the Mt. Sunapee area in New Hampshire.
The next two quarters will be no less busy. In October, we will finally move 100% of our operations into our new Brattleboro facility, where we’ll be able to handle, store, and care for products to the highest possible standards, and where we’ll have the space to continue this year’s rate of growth into 2020 and beyond. In Q4, we’ll begin regular routes to the Pioneer Valley, to the Upper Valley, and all the way to Burlington. With these new routes, Food Connects will tap into areas that have never before been served by a wholesale food hub. We’ll also access new products for our catalog, so that all our customers can enjoy an even broader selection of the exceptional foods this region has to offer.


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Sony has announced that it will be merging two of its entertainment businesses into a single company later this year. The company is looking to integrate all of its PlayStation activities under one roof in San Mateo, California.
Effective April 1, the Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment business units will combine to form Sony Interactive Entertainment, LLC. The new company will be led by Andrew House, the current president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in Tokyo. Kazuo Hirai, the former PlayStation boss — and current CEO of all of Sony — will serve on the board as well.
In a statement released by Sony, Andrew House stated: “By integrating the strengths of PlayStation’s hardware, software, content and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation business.”
The move to San Mateo appears to reflect a shifting of priorities and business of the PlayStation consoles. Sony Computer Entertainment has long been headquartered in Tokyo, since its establishment in 1993. Sony Network Entertainment International, which houses all of Sony’s online content business (PlayStation Network, PlayStation Vue television service, and PlayStation Music among others) was established more recently in 2010.
The PlayStation 4 has been a major bright spot within the Sony corporation. The company announced earlier this month that the console has sold over 35 million units worldwide since its launch in 2013.


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Eurozone inflation is expected to rise to 0.3 per cent in May, an increase of 30 basis points from the 0 per cent figure recorded in April, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.
The return to inflation, which follows five months of falling or stagnant prices, follows a 1.3 per cent increase in the price of services, up from 1 per cent in April.
Food, alcohol and tobacco prices also rose 1.2 per cent in May, compared to 1 per cent a month earlier, while energy price deflation contracted from -5.8 per cent in April to -5 per cent in May.
News of rising prices in the Eurozone comes less than a month after the UK recorded a year-on-year fall in prices for the first time since records began.
Office for National Statistics data shows consumer prices index inflation fell by 0.1 per cent in the year to April 2015, compared to no change in the year to March 2015.


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Businesses that were in the World Trade Center should get more money than other businesses from a program granting relief from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, a group of officials said yesterday.
Under the current rules for the aid plan, called the World Trade Center Business Recovery Grant Program, small businesses that were in the trade center when it was destroyed are treated the same as small businesses on the blocks around them, the officials said as they called publicly for different rules for the program.
''It only makes sense that businesses destroyed totally are treated differently from business that remained physically intact,'' said one of the officials, Alan J. Gerson, chairman of the City Council's committee on Lower Manhattan redevelopment, who also represents the area.
Another council member, Domenic M. Recchia Jr., said of the companies that were in the trade center, ''They have nothing to go back to.''
Under the program, all businesses that have up to 500 employees and that are in the area between Chambers Street and Rector Street on the north and south and Broadway and the Hudson River from east to west -- the trade center and the blocks immediately around it -- are equally eligible for the program's maximum grants of up to 25 days of lost revenue.
The two council members spoke at a news conference outside City Hall. They were joined by the speaker of the Council, Gifford Miller; the speaker of the State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, and about 75 owners of businesses that had been in the trade center or were in Chinatown.Continue reading the main story
A spokesman for the Empire State Development Corporation, which runs the program with the city's Economic Development Corporation, said his agency was ''focused on helping World Trade Center tenants.'' That focus, he said, was a reason for recently increasing the maximum business recovery grants for those in and around the trade center.
The spokesman, Michael Marr, also suggested that ''partisan politics'' was ''at play'' in yesterday's news conference. All those backing the changes in the programs were Democrats.
The legislators also called for expanding the boundaries of another program, the Small Firm Attraction and Retention Grant Program, which provides up to $5,000 per worker to businesses with up to 200 employees that sign new or renewal leases in the area as far north as Canal Street. That, the legislators say, covers only part of Chinatown, though the portion of Chinatown north of Canal Street was hurt just as hard by the decline of tourists and other visitors. Thus, they said, eligibility for the program should extend as far north as Delancey Street.Continue reading the main story


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A Highly-Anticipated Reveal: The Dawn of a New Era
The moment football fans across the globe have been waiting for has finally arrived. Internazionale, or Inter Milan as they’re popularly known, has officially unveiled their new home jersey for the 2010-11 season. The unveiling concludes a summer filled with wild speculation, relentless internet debates, and many leaked photos that whetted the appetites of fans and football fashion enthusiasts alike. This moment of revelation is not just a presentation of a new outfit but an introduction to a new chapter in the team’s illustrious history.
A Groundbreaking Departure: The Biscione-inspired Design
Inter Milan’s new jersey marks a groundbreaking shift from the club’s age-old blue and black stripes tradition. The new design manifests an audacious transformation from the conventional straight stripes to a design inspired by the serpent, or Biscione, as it’s famously known in Italy. The Biscione is not just a legendary serpent but a cultural symbol of Milan and the Internazionale club itself. This innovative design has undoubtedly fueled the already fiery debates among fans, critics, and sports pundits, but it also showcases the team’s boldness to redefine its traditional identity.
A Century of Excellence: The Commemorative Emblem
The new jersey also carries a powerful tribute to the team’s past victories. The club’s emblem, beautifully embedded on the left chest, is surrounded by three concentric circles in gold, black, and blue – the trademark colors of Inter Milan. This emblem isn’t merely a decorative design element. It’s a commemorative tribute, marking the centenary of the team’s first-ever league championship victory – a milestone that speaks to the club’s rich legacy and enduring spirit of sportsmanship.
A Testament to Partnership: Nike’s Signature Swoosh
On the right side of the chest, contrasting the gold, black, and blue emblem, is the white Nike swoosh – a globally recognized symbol of athleticism and quality. This logo represents the enduring partnership between the sportswear giant Nike, and the Italian football behemoth, Inter Milan. It symbolizes a bond forged in the fires of sporting ambition and maintained through years of successful collaboration.
Synchronizing Innovation with Tradition: The Socks
Even the socks haven’t been left untouched in this design overhaul. Bearing horizontal stripes in the club’s traditional colors – blue and black -they subtly echo the jersey’s innovative serpent-inspired design while adhering to the conventional color palette of the team. This combination of innovation and tradition underscores the balancing act the designers have attempted with this new kit.
A Torrent of Reactions: The Controversy and Expectations
The unveiling of this radically redesigned jersey has sent waves across the football world. Fans and critics alike have had varied reactions. While some view it as a thrilling and commendable leap toward innovation, others perceive it as a contentious divergence from the team’s long-standing tradition. But regardless of differing opinions, everyone concurs on one point – the new kit has undoubtedly seized the world’s attention.
Reflecting on the Transformation: More than just a Jersey
This jersey represents more than just a new season; it reflects the transformative journey that Internazionale has embarked on. From a design perspective, the shift from straight lines to serpentine stripes, the use of the Biscione, the serpent symbol of Milan, and the new commemorative emblem speak volumes about the club’s creative vision and willingness to challenge the status quo.
The Shorts: A Nod to Tradition
While the new design elements have given the kit a fresh appearance, the accompanying shorts have remained faithful to the club’s traditional aesthetics. The black shorts, adorned with blue stripes running down the sides, provide a comforting familiarity amid the radical changes in the jersey.
The Bold Statement: Reinventing Tradition
In the grand scheme of things, the redesigned kit brings to the fore the club’s commitment to evolving and reinventing its traditions. It showcases the perfect blend of respecting the past and embracing the future. The redesigned home kit symbolizes change and progression, mirroring Inter Milan’s continuous efforts to innovate and lead in the football world.
The Final Word: A Future-Forward Vision
In conclusion, unveiling the new Internazionale home kit for the 2010-11 season paints a bold, future-forward vision for the club. It celebrates the club’s storied past and an exciting preview of its future. It signifies an era where tradition meets innovation and history meets progression. As the new season dawns, the club, its players, and millions of its fans worldwide stand on the precipice of an exciting journey, wearing their hearts and the new jersey on their sleeves. Whether the kit will be universally accepted is yet to be seen, but what’s certain is that the Internazionale spirit remains undeterred and is ready to face a new era with a bold and audacious stride.


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UK-based Oneweb has a loft ambition. The technology start-up aims to realise complete global internet access penetration. Internet access that is not just limited to town and cities where the commercial model means putting in extensive and expensive infrastructure makes sense for private enterprise. Global high-speed internet coverage that democratises access to information and services and the personal and economic development that represents. An internet connection as available to a Namibian cattle herder as it is to the London commuter.
Oneweb plans to achieve that by launching and maintaining an extensive network of satellites it believes will mean everyone on Earth can have theoretical access to high-speed broadband by 2021. Just two years from now.
That tight timeline is now a realistic possibility with a funding round for $1.25 billion (£942 billion) having been successfully closed. It was led by Softbank, whose Vision Fund is the world’s largest technology investors, Virgin and chip maker Qualcomm.
Oneweb’s vision is one that, if realised, will take a hugely positive step towards supporting the development of regions that have been left behind in the information age. It also has huge commercial value. Even if a huge investment, a satellite network delivering broadband globally is much easier and cheaper to set-up and maintain than existing infrastructure compromised of cables and telecoms masts. Which means the service can also be offered much more cheaply. Cheaply enough to hopefully mean it is accessible to even the world’s poorer communities.
Oneweb chief executive Adrian Steckel commented:
“This latest funding round, our largest to date, makes Oneweb’s service inevitable and is a vote of confidence from our core investor base in our business model and the Oneweb value proposition.”
Last month the company, in a joint partnership with Airbus, launched its first six satellites into orbit.
Production will now be stepped up towards a target of being able to launch as many as 30 new satellites a month from Q4 of this year. The initial target is for 650 satellites, which will be enough to provide coverage across the huge majority of the globe.
To date, London-based Oneweb has raised a huge $3.4 billion in investment including an £18 million contribution from the UK Space Agency.


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Tourist destinations are bracing for post-pandemic summer crowds
05.31.2021 - By Marketplace
This weekend traditionally marks the beginning of summer vacation season. It’s the moment when a lot of tourist destinations in the U.S. start to see crowds. And when folks who work at tourist attractions — and hotels and restaurants near them — start getting busy. On today’s show, we check in with businesses in South Dakota preparing for a busy summer season. Also on the show today: Restaurants are still struggling to attract workers, how rent relief efforts are going in Houston and a conversation about inclusivity in economics.


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Rural telephony is growing well, so why subsidise it?
Given that the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) has R21,840 crore of funds lying unutilised, it’s not surprising the Deepak Parekh committee on infrastructure financing has found a new way to use the money since, for a cash-strapped industry, that’s pretty useful money. More so since the USOF is an unending fund as it gets 5% of all telecom revenues annually. The committee has recommended the fund be used to defray part of the monthly rentals for rural phones and perhaps even pay for the first mobile phone bought. The logic given is a seemingly compelling one, that while urban teledensity is 170 (1.7 phones per person), rural teledensity is a much lower 39% (a little under 4 phones per 10 persons).
There are several problems with the argument. For one, urban teledensity is an overdone concept—it is distorted by offices that have hundreds of connections and individuals who are using multiple SIM cards to take advantage of cheaper call rates by different telcos. Two, a 39% teledensity in rural areas means most people in rural India are virtually next door to a phone—indeed, if you go by the number of rural households (160-170 mn), this could mean each household has a phone. In which case, it is better to go by what the Census showed for 2011—that 54% of rural households had a phone (48% had only mobiles) and 82% of urban households had a phone (64% had only mobiles). That means every rural household is actually next door to a phone. While you could still want to raise this to urban levels, it’s important to keep in mind that rural connections have risen around 40-50% faster than urban ones have over the last 3 years—so the market is growing in a healthy manner, even outpacing the growth of the rural economy, hardly something that requires a subsidy. And there is a natural reason why rural India cannot have the same teledensity as urban India—since there are more incoming calls than outgoing ones in rural areas, telcos earn less from rural phones. Indeed, the fact that Trai is trying to further lower termination charges will make the situation worse—raising rural termination charges would have been a better solution.
Indeed, the Parekh committee would have done well to find out why the USOF has been unable to spend its money. Ideally, it could have been getting mobile towers constructed in rural India and offering these for free use to mobile phone companies to defray their costs—for many years, however, USOF was fixated on paying for landlines that no one wants. While that changed some years ago, USOF’s disbursements didn’t improve that much. In which case, the best solution would have been to recommend scrapping of the USO levy which is a whopping 5% of telco revenues. For the political class, however, it’s a golden opportunity where fresh rural subsidies can be given without any strain on the budget—and it can be packaged as responsible spending on infrastructure.


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Google expands YouTube ad safeguards amid extremist video outcry
We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest YouTube Inc news every morning.
Google has published an expanded plan of action for specific changes it is initiating in response to a growing crisis in the UK over extremist content on YouTube.
The media storm has led the government and a host of big companies such as Volkswagen, Toyota, Tesco, Marks and Spencer and ad agency Havas to freeze their YouTube ads in the UK over the past week.
Here’s a breakdown of the expanded safeguards that Google will roll out in coming weeks to pacify its advertising customers:
First, the company is re-writing its ad policies to make it tougher for videos on YouTube to be monetized through advertising.
Previously, Google’s ad policies focused on content that was inciting violence, but it will now expand to focus on broader issues like incendiary and derogatory language, based on attributes such as gender, religion and so on.
“This includes removing ads more effectively from content that is attacking or harassing people based on their race, religion, gender or similar categories,” wrote Philipp Schindler, Google’s chief business officer.
“We’ll also tighten safeguards to ensure that ads show up only against legitimate creators in our YouTube Partner program – as opposed to those who impersonate other channels or violate our community guidelines.”
Next, the company has introduced additional controls for advertisers to manage exactly where their ads appear on YouTube and across other Google services. To start with, Google will make the default controls more conservative, excluding sexually suggestive content for instance.
It will also allow brands and agencies to manage their controls on an account level. This means rather than having to state their preferences for every campaign they run on YouTube, they can set controls just once for all the campaigns they ever run on the channel.
Finally, Mr Schiller promised that Google would be “hiring significant numbers of people” to enforce the notice-and-takedown process, and also use artificial intelligence and machine learning to speed up the review of questionable content for advertising. “We’ll soon be able to resolve these cases in less than a few hours,” he said.


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Nykaa share price jumped 10.8% in BSE intraday trade to Rs 1411.80 per share in early trade on Monday.
Shares of e-commerce beauty company Fsn E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa) are seeing a strong rally on 3 November.
On November 3, Nykaa's stock has gained 11 per cent to reach a price of Rs 1412, before the stock closed at Rs 1272 on Friday.
In fact, the board of the company has announced bonus shares in the ratio of 5:1.
After this, the sentiment regarding the stock has improved, currently the stock is trading at its highest level since August 19.
The board of Nykaa has announced bonus shares in the ratio of 5:1.
The Company has set November 3, 2022 as the record date for the purpose of determining the eligible members for Bonus Equity Shares.
Last week, on September 28, Nykaa said its board would first meet on October 3 to consider the bonus issue.


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New Starbucks in Aspen brewing for a September opening
After more than a year hiatus, Starbucks is returning to Aspen and will be open on the Cooper Avenue Mall later this month.
Manhattan Capital LLC operates the coffee shop, which is a licensed partner of Starbucks.
Aspen resident David Ellsweig is an investor, who was approached by his friends at Manhattan Capital to be their local partner.
He said after the Starbucks at gondola plaza at the base of Aspen Mountain closed in August of 2017, as did the popular Peaches Cafe a few months later, the timing was right.
“It was an incredible opportunity,” Ellsweig said Thursday. “This is an opportune time to open a coffee shop … there was a void that needed to be filled.”
Ellsweig’s group took over the lease at 401 E. Cooper Ave., the former location of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, in April.
Building plans were submitted in May — according to Starbuck’s specifications — and the space was built out over the summer.
Ellsweig said he and his investors originally planned to open in December but they were able to get into the space sooner than they anticipated.
The space is owned by Valley Investments LLC, which is tied to M&W Properties, run by Tony Mazza and Frank Woods.
Ellsweig said the city of Aspen and Mazza have been great to work with, noting that the lease is long-term and “very fair.”
On Thursday morning, the coffee shop was abuzz with new employees in training and a Starbucks district manager overseeing the rollout of products.
It will be one of only two stores on the Western Slope that will offer Starbucks’ Nitro Cold Brew coffee. It’s coffee charged with nitrogen, giving it a rich, creamy top. It will be on tap at the Aspen location.
It also will have all of the offerings that other Starbucks have, including pastries and breakfast and lunch sandwiches.
Ellsweig, also known as “Campo Dave” for his role as general manager of Campo de Fiori, said he’s excited for the coffee shop’s outdoors space, which wraps around the building and faces Wagner Park on the pedestrian mall, where there are additional tables and chairs provided by the city.
He said he and his group plan to ask the city for permission to place heat lamps along the perimeter of the building so customers can sit outside during the cold months.
Ellsweig added that he thinks it’s a perfect location being on the mall, next to Rubey Park transit station and a couple of blocks from the gondola.
Because the store is a licensed partner, Starbucks approves the location, designs the interior space and assists with the build-out and employee training.
The store employs 18 people and is set to open Sept. 24. Hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ellsweig said he isn’t too concerned about opening in the offseason and hopes to attract the local clientele first. It also gives the staff some time to get the details right.
“It gives us a great opportunity to get the store wrapped up before the busy winter season,” he said.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard on Tuesday announced the final U.S. World Cup schedule, a lineup that includes the Aspen World Cup from March 3 to 5 on Aspen Mountain. Those races will include a men’s super-G and two men’s downhills.


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GetIntent, a provider of programmatic advertising software solutions, announced today that PreVid, a proprietary fill-rate optimization algorithm-as-a-service, has completed closed beta testing and will soon be available to the public.
Per this week’s announcement, designed to provide outcome probability events for each impression, the video-first, data-driven technology has been successful in achieving more than a 10x increase in fill rate.
“Video is the most valuable real estate on a publisher’s website and too many of these impressions are filled with a large waterfall overhead,” says Vladimir Klimontovich, Co-Founder and CTO of GetIntent. “Fill rate is the most crucial KPI in online video advertising, and we were excited to use our predictive intelligence to shorten the chain of demand sources and create a superior method of calculating the probability selling/filling each impression.”
CenterPoint Media participated in the beta testing, according to this week’s announcement.
“One great aspect of digital advertising is that true innovation in the space can always be quantified,” said Paul Roberts, CEO of CenterPoint Media. “Since we began using PreVid, our fill rate has increased more than 300%. GetIntent has set the stage to solve many more problems like this for the industry using technology we have yet to see in the space.”


text: In an unprecedented move, Florida lawmakers are pushing forward with legislation to regulate the potency of kratom, a popular but controversial herbal supplement. The bill, SB 842, seeks to introduce dosage recommendations and labeling requirements for kratom products sold throughout the state. Championed by Sen. Keith Perry, the legislation aims to address growing concerns over kratom’s safety and its unregulated market. This initiative follows the state’s decision last year to restrict kratom sales to individuals younger than 21. The full report on AOL.com highlights the bill’s proposals, including limits on specific alkaloid content in kratom products, reflecting a significant step toward statewide regulation. With kratom’s effects ranging from stimulant to sedative based on dosage, the move underscores Florida’s cautious approach amidst debates over the substance’s benefits and risks.


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Lois Woes Lead to More Albertson’s Work
LOS ANGELES–With its acquisition of additional business from Albertson’s, Duncan & Associates has again profited from the relationship, this time to the tune of an estimated $25 million.
The Santa Monica, Calif., shop has been awarded ad duties for the Midwestern units
(located around the Chicago area) of Albertson’s-owned Jewel Foodstores, Osco Drug Stores and Jewel/Osco combination stores. There was no review.
“That they’re giving us more work is a vote of confidence,” said Duncan vice president/management supervisor Craig Silver. “It’s great to have this kind of growth.”
Earlier this month, Lois/USA, incumbent on the Midwestern business, filed a voluntary petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York seeking Chapter 11 relief following the loss of several key clients.
Following Boise, Idaho-based Albertson’s acquisition of American Stores earlier this year, longtime Albertson’s agency Duncan added the Lucky stores business, previously at Grey Advertising, Los Angeles, and Osco Drug Stores and Sav-on Drug Stores, previously at Lois’ Chicago office [Adweek, July 12]. Those assignments boosted the shop’s billings by $50-55 million. With the added Jewel/Osco business, total billings now top $135 million.
Separately, the shop is set to kick off a changeover campaign this week for the conversion of Lucky stores to Albertson’s units. Teaser TV, radio and outdoor ads broke last week in markets where the chains will be merged. The teaser spots showed two bags of groceries (one Albertson’s, one Lucky) on a conveyor belt as bride and groom. This week, the nuptial theme continues with a spot that shows chefs working on a multilayer wedding cake. The tag is, “Albertson’s. Great service and low prices together like never before.”
–with Aaron Baar


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Digital health is gaining steam as biotech and pharma companies engage with IT innovators to develop this new category of healthcare solutions and tools. In the process, some previously unlikely companies are teaming up, pairing their unique skills to develop better solutions to serious challenges than either could alone.
“Life sciences companies are particularly good at recognizing what they don’t know,” acknowledges Asher Rubin, global head, life sciences and healthcare industry group for Hogan Lovells. Therefore, partnering with IT experts makes more sense than trying to develop the expertise in-house.
Partnering with IT, however, is very different than partnering with a pharmaceutical or biotech company. These companies tend to have consumer sensibilities. They’ve built their businesses around delivering functionality in entertaining, easy-to-use applications and form factors.
Because of that, “there’s a perspective difference. When Apple or Google, for instance, makes a phone, the marketplace decides which is best. Meanwhile, it makes a better version. While pharma wants the best product to prevail, it has a greater focus on patent protection and exclusivity,” Rubin says.
Appreciating that difference in perspective really requires partners to understand the rationale behind the open source concept in the technology world and exclusivity in the pharmaceutical environment. In pharma, drugs maintain maximum value throughout the life of their patents. Then, when those patents expire, generic companies become competitors.
Technology has a different business model. That industry thrives by developing a continuous influx of new products. A mobile phone introduced today based on a 20-year-old patent would be irrelevant. (If you don’t remember, 1997 phones were only phones, but they finally came in multiple colors…on the keypad.)
Pharma and IT companies also have different expectations in terms of speed of product development and what constitutes a finished product. “The time it takes to launch a healthcare product is something digital companies must adjust to,” Rubin says.
Reimbursement is another difference. Orders occur on a different time frame, and third parties—not healthcare consumers—are still deciding how to pay for digital health solutions.
Additionally, digital health companies must ensure they understand the regulatory environment. “Initially, 23andMe didn’t realize it had a regulated product,” he recalls. “Companies are getting better at recognizing when their products are regulated, and the FDA’s precertification program is speeding products to market.” That program prequalifies technology companies that have a culture of quality and organizational excellence, in a process that resembles the FDA’s treatment of lab-developed tests or establishment reports for manufacturers. “The program aims to get digital technology to the market in a way that makes more sense.”
Digi solutions boost effectiveness
While IT and life sciences partners are adjusting to those differences, pharma is learning how digital applications can improve the effectiveness of their products. For example, the recent approval of the first digital pill (Abilify MyCite, by Otsuka and Proteus Digital Health) lets physicians track compliance and patient activity levels. “The next level of digital pill may monitor the level of drug still circulating in the body and let patients know when they need to take another,” Rubin predicts. Consequently, dosages can become more accurate, particularly as patients come in different sizes.
Pear Therapeutics is another example. It has the first FDA-approved stand-alone digital medicine for substance abuse, which combines its outpatient digital solution with face-to-face therapy. “Statistics indicate its product is 25 percent effective at 12 weeks in reducing opioid dependence. Face-to-face therapy alone is only 7 percent effective,” he says.
IT and pharma become equal partners
In the digital partnerships that are emerging, the partners are working together as equals. “We’re seeing more partnerships in the true sense of the word, because each party brings something unique. In that regard,” Rubin says, “the structure more closely resembles a joint venture than a customary collaboration.”
That equality is driven by a few key elements: economics, expertise, and shared risk. “The parties realize they each can develop a better product and earn more money by working together than either can alone,” he says. Both parties also bring deep subject-matter expertise and mature infrastructures, and neither is willing to relinquish its rights in what eventually may become a highly lucrative industry. Naturally, pharma is eager to share the risks, particularly while distribution methods and reimbursement strategies are being sorted.
Pioneering digital health
Hogan Lovells started its deep dive into digital health about five years ago when its pharmaceutical and technology clients began asking questions about each other. Recognizing the beginning of a trend, “we set up a digital health working group that explored the requirements in this space around partnering and collaborations,” Rubin recalls.
One of its early projects involved crafting an exclusive agreement that enabled Regeneron to analyze Geisinger Health’s biospecimen to link patient phenotype and genotype for use in drug development. “There were health privacy concerns as well as data security and patient consent issues that had to be addressed,” Rubin recalls. Today, Hogan Lovells has a global digital health team of more than 40 lawyers from various practice groups and regions to help identify those issues as well as the regulatory pathways for digital health solutions.
Digital health is a young and dynamic field. As digital health evolves, many new players are likely to emerge, and new partnerships will form. Join Asher Rubin and industry panelists as they discuss these new partnerships and their implications for life science companies Monday afternoon, January 8, at the Digital Medicine & Medtech Showcase panel "Strange bedfellows: The new partnerships driving next gen digital medicine."


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As part of its quarterly earnings report, Disney revealed this week that Disney+ now has 94.9 million subscribers. As you may recall, Disney once projected that the service would have been 60 million and 90 million subscribers by 2024.
Disney reported that it earned $29 million in net income on revenues of $16.25 billion for the quarter ending January 2, 2021.
“We believe the strategic actions we’re taking to transform our Company will fuel our growth and enhance shareholder value, as demonstrated by the incredible strides we’ve made in our [Direct To Consumer] business, reaching more than 146 million total paid subscriptions across our streaming services at the end of the quarter,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said. “We’re confident that, with our robust pipeline of exceptional, high-quality content and the upcoming launch of our new Star-branded international general entertainment offering, we are well-positioned to achieve even greater success going forward.”
At almost 100 million subscribers, Disney+, which launched in November 2019, is now roughly half the size of Netflix, which has a subscriber base of 204 million. But Disney also owns Hulu, with 39.4 million subscribers, and ESPN+, with 12.1 million. So as Mr. Chapek noted, the total subscriber base at Disney is about 146 million.
But the growth at Disney+ has been staggering. The service saw 10 million sign-ups on its first day and had 26.5 million subscribers by the end of its first quarter. It hit 33.5 million, 57.5 million, and 73.7 million subscribers, respectively, in the next three quarters. In December, Disney revealed that the number had jumped to 86.6 million.


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Slimmer, lighter, more powerful and, in some cases, free products were at the fore, just two days before the new iPhone5 and iPhone5c are released at 12.01am tomorrow. Apple unveiled a slimmer version of its top-selling full-size tablet computer, dubbed the ''iPad Air'', along with a revamped iPad Mini with an improved high-definition display.
The new iPad Air is 43% thinner than the version it replaced, weighed just 450g, and was ''screaming fast'', Apple vice-president Phil Schiller said at an unveiling yesterday.
Apple also showed an upgraded iPad Mini, which has high-definition retina display, along with faster computing power and graphics.
The two new iPads will be sold alongside the existing versions, starting November 1 in countries including New Zealand.
The iPad Air, with Wi-Fi models, would start at $749 for the 16GB model, up to $1199 for the 128GB model. The iPad Air with Wi-Fi and cellular would be available for a recommended price of $949 for the 16GB model, up to $1399 for the 128GB device.
The new iPads came on the same day Microsoft began selling an upgraded version of its Surface tablet, and Nokia unveiled its own tablet computer.
Industry tracker Gartner on Monday forecast global tablet shipments would reach 184 million units this year, a 53.4% rise from last year.
The iPad remained the largest-selling tablet, according to surveys, but its market share is being eroded by rivals using the Google Android operating system.
Apple also updated its MacBook Pro with retina display with fourth-generation Intel Core processors, the latest graphics, longer battery life, faster flash storage and next generation Wi-Fi. The new MacBooks started at a new lower recommended retail price of $1999 and were expected to be available yesterday.
Apple would give away operating and work software free to Mac computer users, challenging Microsoft Corp's near-stranglehold on personal computing as the latter starts to make inroads into the mobile market.
Apple revealed the surprise offer, available to all users of MacBooks and Mac computers at the same time as it unveiled the new line-up.
Its Mac operating system and iWork software suite, which compete with Microsoft's Excel, Word and other applications, will now be offered free to all users.
By giving away its Mac operating system, Apple is taking on Microsoft's predominant Windows platform, installed on an estimated eight to nine out of 10 of the world's computers and one of its most profitable cash cows.
Ovum chief telecoms analyst Jan Dawson said the announcements were the clearest statement Apple could have made it was interested in competing only in the premium tablet space.
''The yawning gap between the specs of the cheaper iPad Mini and iPad 2 and the new iPads signifies it is only willing to compete at the lower price points with older models. This leaves a huge chunk of the tablet market unserved by Apple, while others such as Google, Amazon and a raft of others aggressively target the sub-$US400 market. This reinforces our view Apple's share in tablets will continue to fall as Android's share rises over the coming years.''
The new iPad news would generate the headlines but the changes to Apple's software licensing was also important, not least for Microsoft, Ms Dawson said.
Microsoft generated 96% of its operating margins from operating system and productivity software licensing. Apple was now teaching people to expect both of those things to be free.
''While this won't disrupt Microsoft's business overnight, it will create further pressure on Microsoft to bring down prices for its productivity software and especially for Windows,'' she said.


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|Q&A service Quora has released a major update of its iPhone app, v2.0. Aside from now supporting the iPhone 5, the app uses a new interface said to get "out of the way" during use, for instance scrolling the search bar offscreen. Search is nevertheless said to be easier to access, and three times faster.
Another important addition is the ability to both answer and follow questions anonymously. The feed now supports continuous scrolling, and sharing to Facebook and Twitter should be simpler. Quora 2.0 runs on any device supporting iOS 5.0 or later.


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Cryptic Studios has been put up for sale by parent company Atari.
The developer behind titles such as Star Trek Online, City of Heroes/Villains and Champions Online was described as of March 31st as a "discontinued operation" by its parent company.
Gamasutra reports that Atari will continue to support all existing Cryptic titles until a buyer is found or another conclusion is reached.
"In line with the previously stated strategy of fewer but more profitable releases and further expansion into casual online and mobile games, the company has determined that external development creates more flexibility in the changing marketplace," Atari said in a statement.
The studio was founded in 2000 and was acquired by Atari in 2008.
However, Atari has undergone several strategic transformations in the last few years and while it has back peddled on the pledge more than once has still gradually moved away from triple-A console and PC releases.


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Key IndicatorsPopulation clock 25,666,057 1 new person every 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Consumer price index -0.3% Annual change Jun 2020 quarter All groups, original Gross domestic product -7.0% Quarterly change Jun 2020 Chain volume measure, seasonally adjusted Average weekly earnings $1,713.90 May 2020 Full time adults ordinary time, seasonally adjusted Unemployment rate 6.8% August 2020 Seasonally adjusted estimate
The ABS is preparing to launch its new website on Monday. You may experience some disruption to our current service this weekend. We apologise for any inconvenience.
- Thursday 17 September 2020Hours worked fell in Vic but rose in rest of AustraliaLabour Force, Australia
- Thursday 17 September 2020New prisoners decreased by 17% for the June Quarter 2020Corrective Services, Australia
- Thursday 17 September 2020Modellers' Database June Quarter 2020 released todayModellers' Database
- Wednesday 16 September 2020Three decades of victims data shows homicide down 40%Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia (Additional Information)
- Wednesday 16 September 2020Statistical geography information paper releasedReview outcomes for Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS)
Additional ABS products Additional ABS products measure impact of COVID-19 The ABS is releasing additional information to better understand the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Links to this data have been collated onto a single page and will be updated as new data is published.
ABS releases findings of Census Privacy Impact Assessments Census Privacy Impact Assessments The ABS has released the findings, and ABS responses, of two independent Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) looking at the way the 2021 Census will be run.
44% of businesses report announcement of JobKeeper scheme influenced decision to continue to employ staff


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Jakarta, 19 October 2022 - ICDX Commodity Exchange held an international tin conference, the Indonesia Tin Conference (ITC) 2022 which was held at the Grand Hyatt, Jakarta. ITC is an annual ICDX event which was previously stopped due to the pandemic. The big theme at ITC 2022 is the Indonesian Tin Outlook which discusses the development of the tin industry in Indonesia, especially in the midst of the government's plan to ban the export of tin in 2023.
“This event is eagerly awaited not only by our members who are sellers and buyers of tin, but also industry players who use tin as one of the main components of production or end users. Indonesia as the second largest tin producer in the world, has an important role in the world's tin supply," said ICDX Director, Nursalam.
It is known that according to the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 32/M-DAG/PER/6/2013 concerning the Export Trading Administration of Tin Bars (Ingots) it must go through the Tin Exchange, since being transacted through the ICDX Exchange, the price of Indonesian tin has continued to increase. Even at the beginning of 2022 it reached USD49,950/metric ton. This shows that Indonesia has a big role as the world's tin price maker.
“Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest commodities in the world. If we look at the commodity trading performance of 2021-2022, Indonesia experienced a commodity supercycle which has an impact on Indonesian commodity prices. We must manage this commodity properly because it contributes to Indonesia's trade balance surplus of USD34.9 billion. As one of the tin producers in the world, the value of Indonesia's tin exports from 2018, 2019 to 2021 has increased significantly," said Plt. Head of BAPPEBTI, Didid Noordiatmoko in his remarks at the ITC 2022 event.
It is known that Indonesia has the second largest tin reserves in the world and the largest reserves are in Bangka Belitung. Bangka Belitung Province is the largest contributor to Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP) for the last four years, amounting to Rp2.6 trillion. This makes tin one of the commodities that have such a large impact, especially on the national economy.
Meanwhile, on the same occasion the Governor of Bangka Belitung, Ridwan Djamaluddin said, “Tin has become the main driver of our economy in Bangka Belitung. Especially during a pandemic, these natural resources make such a big contribution. The government's plan to stop Indonesia's Tin export trade will certainly have an impact on state revenues, especially the regional economy of Bangka Belitung."
In 2025-2035, the government will develop the tin industry in Indonesia. This development is intended so that Indonesian tin can be utilized more optimally so that it can produce more downstream products. Permata Bank Chief Economist, Josua Pardede said, "The government through the National Industrial Development Master Plan (RIPIN) for tin commodities is preparing to produce new tin products."
Furthermore, Josua explained that the potential for developing the tin industry in the future is very large. Tin is one of the metals that has a positive effect on increasing the use of green technology, considering its large role in various electronic and electricity products. Therefore, downstreaming is the key for Indonesia to be able to maximize the utilization of the tin, especially for national economic resilience.
About Indonesia Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (ICDX)
The Indonesia Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (ICDX), also known as the Indonesia Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (ICDX) is a commodity and derivatives exchange based in Indonesia. ICDX's vision is to become a global market exchange that improves national welfare, with a mission to become a benchmark for setting world commodity prices through Indonesian primary products. ICDX is an Exchange supported by its members consisting of brokers and traders regulated by BAPPEBTI. ICDX members facilitate customer transaction services which include ICDX commodity futures trading contracts. Trades on ICDX will be settled, guaranteed and cleared by the Indonesia Clearing House. For more information, please visit www.icdx.co.id
+62 812 8928 1114
Midpoint Place, 22nd Floor, K.H. Fachrudin Street No. 26, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta


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Turkmenistan for the first times demonstrates its textile industry potential at the Import Goods Fair 2022 that kicked off in Korea’s capital Seoul on Thursday.
The fair participants and visitors get to see Turkmenistan's environmentally friendly textile products, including high-quality clothes, knitwear, jeans, keteni fabric, different types of cotton and silk fabrics, and clothing from Turkmen producers such as Nusaý, Gala, Goza, Merw and Bedew, the official Turkmen media reports.
The national pavilion, along with books of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, also features printed materials about a number of achievements of Turkmenistan, Turkmen carpets, national handicrafts and jewelry.
The participation of Turkmen national products in this international exhibition is of special importance as this year marks the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and Korea, according to the media.
Exhibition of Turkmen products at this exhibition will reportedly be a major contribution to the bilateral relations between the countries.
The exhibition will run until June 25 this year. Representatives of 70 companies from more than 60 countries exhibit their products at this fair.


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Eagle Rock Entertainment, a leading music video label, is lowering prices in an attempt to get more shelf space and boost sales.
On April 1, the company will lower its list price from $14.98 to $9.98 and bring wholesale down from $9.51 to $7.25.
The hope is that retail will embrace the lower price, resulting in boosted sales volume, which will incentivize retails to give the label more shelf space for its titles, says Eagle Rock president of North American operations Mike Carden.
“Our new price structure will allow the retailer flexibility to sell our projects at a price point that is more consumer friendly," Carden said in a statement. "As the retail market continues to become more constricted, this lower price is more in line with today’s financial climate.”
Eagle rock issues DVD titles of concerts and documentaries on such artists as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, the Who, Queen, the Doors, Jeff Beck, U2, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne.
As part of its pricing realignment, Eagle Rock will also introduce deluxe packages for its bigger titles. "Some customers buy on price and others want all kinds of bells and whistles with more content, so I will give them a choice," Carden adds.


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Been a slow weekend but some company went shopping, others are on sale and while others just teamed up to fight a common foe.
It’s now official Yahoo and Microsoft will be working together to capture that elusive search market that’s being dominated by Google for years now.
Read more >> Microsoft and Yahoo! sign on the dotted line
via Cnet News:
Apple apparently bought the online streaming music service provider Lala. For how much? It was not mention in the article and to what purpose.. only apple knows!!!
Read more >> Apple confirms acquisition of music site Lala
You can also read related news at Apple buys Lala, ‘cloud’ provider of music
via AOL Tech News:
After the revamp and improvements made on Friendster, they are now on the selling block for a whopping $100 Million. They still have marketshare and they are the number social networking portal in Asia. Which is still a large market compare to US and other parts for the world. I for one.. does not believe in Facebook. MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are just powered by celebrity and uses the same concept that Friendster created, while Friendster have longevity, look what happened to MySpace?!:)
Read more >> Friendster to sell for $100 million
Last modified: December 7, 2009


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Ten bidders have entered the auction for Welliv Co., a food-making unit under financially-troubled Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME), and given the competitive interest, the shipbuilder is expected to fetch around 80 billion won ($ 69.77 billion) from the sale.
According to the investment banking industry, sales advisor Samjong KMPG received 10 preliminary tenders. It will shortlist bidders next week and allow them due diligence in the target company.
The names of the contestants remain anonymous, but industry project poultry company Harim Group would have taken part.
DSME’s last year’s attempt to sell Welliv fell through. Founded in 2005, Welliv in which DSME holds a 100 percent stake, provides meal, hospitality, security, and transportation services primarily for sea-going industry worldwide. The firm posted 12.6 billion won in operating profit on revenue of 221.7 billion won at the end of 2015.
By Yoo Tae-yang
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]


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David Benton of Rill Architects predicts that contemporary design will increase in popularity in 2013. “In the past, traditional architecture has been the go-to design of choice in [the Washington-region]. Now clients are more comfortable with contemporary design, not only with the interior layout, but also the exterior.”
Photo courtesy of Rill Architects
What are the design trends that will define the way we live in 2013? Local tastemakers and design experts break down the trends that will be popular this year.
“Large expanses of glass and open interiors will continue to grow in popularity for 2013.”
— David Benton, Rill Architects
Potomac, Md., area architect David Benton of Rill Architects says that while architecture is a long-term investment, rather than a passing trend, there are some design and construction techniques that will be in demand in the coming months.
“Sustainable or green design is still growing in popularity as people become more educated on the topic,” said Benton. “In the coming year, we expect clients to continue to investigate areas of added energy efficiency. For example, spray-in insulation, geothermal heating and cooling, high quality windows and LED lights, to name a few.”
Benton adds that the concept of donating discarded building materials is growing in popularity: “Instead of demolishing an existing house and trucking it to a landfill, we have been dismantling the home and donating the building parts to charities. Everything from kitchen cabinets, counters and sinks, to siding and windows can be donated.”
Potomac-area designer Nadia Subaran of Aidan Design believes that creative storage spaces will be big in 2013. “With limited storage space, displaying utensils is a creative and functional alternative to drawer storage,” she said. “The hanging knife rack in the butler's pantry is another clever storage technique, as well as a great way to create a visual element along a wall. Another trend we're seeing is open shelving so items are easily accessible and close at hand."
Benton also predicts an increased interest among homeowners in creating rooms that serve dual purposes. “The traditional living room is becoming smaller or has been replaced by the study or library,” he said. “Clients want to use every part of their home to get more bang for the buck. Rooms that were only used occasionally or were for show, like the living or dining rooms, are now multi-functional spaces.”
The demand for contemporary design will be on this rise. In the past, traditional architecture has been the go-to design of choice in [the Washington-region],” said Benton. “Now clients are more comfortable with contemporary design, not only with the interior layout, but also the exterior. Large expanses of glass and open interiors will continue to grow in popularity for 2013.”
When it comes to color, vibrant hues will replace muted tones: “Grey is the new black, and jewel tones like emerald green and fuchsia, mixed in with grays and whites, will be very hot this spring and fall,” said Chantilly-based designer Sallie Kjos. “People are going for a much cleaner look, a little more contemporary mixed with traditional.”
In the home accents department, Courtney Thomas, of The Picket Fence in Burke says blue and white will be popular this year. “It is a pretty classic combination,” she said. “Any sort of décor, like decorative bowls and urns in a blue and white color scheme will be popular.”
Thomas also says soy candles will continue to be popular. “They burn clean and last a long time. Floral scents are popular in spring and citrus scents are always big for kitchens.”


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The new socially-conscious running apparel business, Janji, aims to improve the malnutrition crisis in Haiti and Kenya. The Fleet Feet running store in Davis, CA will be carrying Janji running apparel in stores on July 15th!
Janji donates its apparel's proceeds to Meds and Food for Kids in Haiti and KickStart in Kenya through sales of its shirts and shorts bearing the countries' flag. Janji also sponsors the Olympic Haitian track athlete, Moise Joseph.
Janji, a company started by two recent college graduate runners from Washington University in St.Louis, gives runners the chance to fight against the global food and water crisis by purchasing running apparel.
Janji is releasing its apparel at Fleet Feet in Davis on July 1st.